Year End Review: Highlights of the Achievements of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

Year End Review: Highlights of the Achievements of
the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is responsible for
overall development (including health and education) of people belonging to
Scheduled Tribes and to protect their rights, preserve and promote their
culture and heritage. It has gap filling role in the activities of
various line Ministries in the welfare of the tribal population and implement
schemes through the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations or
organizations recommended by the Multi-Disciplinary State Level Committee of
the concerned State Government/UT Administration.

Achievements

Education

Ø To overcome
language barriers in learning amongst tribal children all Tribal Research
Institutes have been funded to prepare bilingual primers (both in tribal and
regional languages) which would be reproduced through Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. Odisha,
Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra have already initiated this
process.

Ø Synchronization
of vacation with Tribal Festivals has been advocated to check drop out.

Ø To provide
physical safety and quality education and its access, nearly 20,000 seats
during FY 14-15, about 40,000 seats during CFY in hostel/residential school
facility have been sanctioned.

Ø To make
education relevant for the tribal children vocational training integrated with residential
schools with one of the teachers acting as mentor cum counselor.

Ø Training
of tribal girl/lady as ANM and their posting as Assistant Warden in Girls
hostel for girl safety and counselling been initiated.

Ø Every tribal
area school without toilet targeted to have functional toilets with focus on
girls toilets and funds provided for safety and inculcating hygiene and
sanitation habits.

Ø Increasing
the number of scholarships for ST students in professional education and
research from 667 to 1000 scholarships per year under the Scheme of Top Class
Education and from 625 to 750 fellowships per year for ST students under the
National Fellowship scheme.

RESEARCH:

Ø The
scheme of Grant-in Aid to Tribal Research Institutes (TRI)” has been revised
from the FY 2014-15 to extend 100% financial assistance to strengthen them in
the areas of Research & Documentation of tangible and intangible heritage
and Training & Capacity building etc.

Ø The
functions of the TRI, inter-alia, include to work as body of knowledge and
research, to support evidence based policy, planning and legislations, capacity
building, dissemination of information and creation of awareness etc.

STRENGTHENING OF INSTITUTIONS:

Ø Strengthening
of Integrated Tribal Development Agency/Integrated Tribal Development Project
(ITDA/ITDP) for effective delivery of public goods and services to tribals in
Tribal Areas.

Ø The
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in collaboration with the Government of NCT of
Delhi, is setting up an autonomous body “Society for Protection of Tribals”
which would help the migrant tribals access basic citizen services,
including Rescue, Rehabilitation and counselling services, through a
24 X 7 helpline.

Ø Tribal
Research Institute – have been revived to make them vibrant institutions
through 100% funding for core staff and activities. TRI, Odisha has
been declared as National Resource Centre.

Ø Centre
of Excellence has been set up for study of Tribal language and literature in Viswa Bharati, Shantiniketan,
and West Bengal.

Ø Till
the end of September, 2015, 44,01,563 claims have been filed and
17,02,047 titles have been distributed under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Out
of these, 16,61,214individual, 38685 community and 2148 CFR
titles have been distributed, covering a total area of around 89 lakh acresof land.

TRANSPARANCY IN GOVERNANCE

Ø A Project
Appraisal Committee, headed by Secretary, Tribal Affairs, with
representatives of State Governments, Financial Advisor, Planning Commission,
etc. has been constituted to appraise and approve the proposals for allocation
under various schemes of the Ministry.

Ø Minutes of
these meetings are put on public domain. This has resulted in consultation and
transparent fund releases, convergence of programme and optimal
utilization of resources.

Ø All the
sanction orders are also kept in public domain through Ministry’s website along
with details of the sanctioned project.

Ø All
Advisories and Instructions issued by the Ministry are kept in public domain
through the Ministry’s website.

e-GOVERNANCE

Ø In
addition to the tech enabled trade information and information of the ministry
including its financials being kept in public domain through the ministry’s
website, continuous updation of website and use of social media
through twitter(@tribalaffairsin) and facebook (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) have been undertaken.

Ø Launching
of MFPnet – for realtime prices across various mandis (www.trifed.in).

Ø Linking Kisan Call
Centre (1800-180-1551) with MFPNet to provide trade
info of not only Minor Forest Produce, but also about agricultural products.

Ø Launching of
e-Commerce portal for sale of tribal crafts and producecollaboration with www.snapdeal.com for
online sale of tribal products by TRIFED.

Ø All procurements
are made through tenders which are uploaded on the relevant portals.

Amount released under different Programmes/Schemes of the Ministry:

An amount of Rs.2969.00 Crores (65% of RE of Rs.4549.00 Crores)
released to various implementing agencies during 2015-16 as assistance under
different schemes/programmes of the Ministry for socio-economic and
educational development of STs.

CULTURE

National Tribal Festival – Vanaj

The Ministry is
providing a national platform for conservation and promotion of cultural
heritage of the tribals. A national festival was organized from 13 – 18
February, 2015 in Delhi to showcase tribal art, craft, food, literature,
medicines and also display and sale of tribal art and crafts.This would
be an annual event to be held between second Friday and third Wednesday of
February.

Vanaj 2015
being inaugurated on 13.02.2015 by Shri JualOram, Hon’ble Minister
of Tribal Affairs in New Delhi

“GOTIPUA” dance
being performed by the tribal children from Odisha during the opening
ceremony of “VANAJ” in Delhi

SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT:

Ø A number
of persons benefitted under various interventions of the Ministry in
Skill Development, Vocational Training and Income Generation Schemes/Component.

Ø Training
educated tribal youth to be qualified teachers and paramedics for filling void
in the services.

Ø Integration
of Vocational training with school curriculum in residential schools to make
education relevant for the ST children.

LIVELIHOOD

Ø Livelihood
activities which can provide regular, sustainable incomes have been supported
and advocated e.g. promotion of Dairy Development through co-operatives and
linking with Milk Federations would provide a range of veterinary services and
regular income that has women participation. Similarly, backyard poultry can
reach large number of households and help in providing protein and additional
income.

Ø Composite
fish culture is for both containing mosquito population, providing
protein supplement and income to the family. Usage of Space Technology for
mapping existing water bodies and developing potential one through MGNREGS has
been promoted.

Ø In
addition, Horticulture, Apiculture, Floriculture, improved varieties of
traditional minor millets advocated and supported. Minor millets are more
nutritious than polished rice or maize and hence recommended for menu in
schools also.

HEALTH & NUTRITION

Sickle Cell Anemia: A protocol for identification of Sickle Cell
Hemoglobin in tribal students through a low cost “Turbidity Test” has been
developed by ICMR.Training workshops organized by the Ministry to
carry out these tests within this financial year. A card is being issued to
each child on sickle cell status which would be used to counsel parents of
sickle cell carriers not to marry other sickle cell carrier. A number of States
have done the screening and the process is under way.

MALARIA: To reduce the incidences of Malaria amongst the
tribal population, composite fish cultures in the ponds has been
advocated. Using space technology mapping of existing ponds and potential ponds
has been started and training workshops been held in all States/UTswith ST
population. This prevents the breeding of mosquitoes. Fish provide additional
income and nutrition.

The Ministry
has started an initiative to identify tribal students, particularly girl
students, who do reasonably well in science subjects, train them as paramedics
and keep them attached to an ANM or any other institution with a regular
remuneration.

Other
initiatives include:

Ø Bring
all pregnant mothers under immunization programme.

Ø A protocol
for including Folic Acid, every Monday immediately after the afternoon meal has
been put in place.

Ø To ensure
regular intake of green leafy vegetables, kitchen gardens are encouraged.
Traditional foods like minor millets, etc. are encouraged for cultivation and
included as a part of the school meals.

Ø Habit
of hygiene and sanitation, use of recyclable material amongst school children,
reduction in generation of garbage.

Ø Circulars
regarding hygiene and cleanliness were issued to the Tribal Welfare Departments
of all states and union territories.

The Ministry
has been holding workshops and consultations with various stakeholders in
tribal welfare, including Members of Parliament, agencies directly involved in
tribal welfare, etc. to get real time inputs and suitably modify/adapt the
implementation of Ministry’s schemes.

· Envisages
comprehensive development of tribals by shifting the working
character into a holistic approach rather than focusing on physical and
financial achievements.

· Ensures
delivery of goods and services to the tribal population across the country
while striking at the critical gaps in the sectors of Housing, Livelihood,
Health & Sanitation, Drinking Water, Agriculture & Irrigation,
Electricity, Education, Skill Development, Sports & Games and Preservation
of Cultural Heritage etc. in a targeted manner through appropriate
institutional mechanism.

Under the newly launched strategic process of VKY greater
convergence of efforts of Central as well as State Governments is the crux of
the issue. In view of this, a‘Convergence Plan’ has been worked out
in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with a view to pool in resources and efforts
of various Central Ministries / Departments in respect of the fourteen thematic
areas enunciated in the VKY process. This seeks to converge funds available for
tribal development in an optimal manner so as to ensure that the intended
benefits, particularly in core areas of education, health, livelihood, housing,
drinking water, irrigation, access to basic facilities, institutions, cultural
heritage, security and sports, actually reach the tribal people resulting in
definite outcomes in terms of various human development indices.As regards
the TSP component of Central Ministries / Departments, a Committee of
Secretaries (CoS) for Tribal Development has decided that Ministry of Tribal
Affairs will have detailed consultation with all the Central Ministries /
Departments with a view to advise them, if and wherever necessary, to effect
process re-engineering of their respective existing interventions, planning and
implementation of TSP. The process is currently on.

SOCIAL SAFETY NET

A. Marketing of Minor Forest Produce

· “Mechanism
for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP)
and Development of Value Chain for MFP”, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme has
been launched during the year 2013-14 as one of the social safety measure for
the MFP gatherers, who are primarily members of Schedule Tribe, by ensuring
fair monetary returns for their efforts in collection, primary processing,
storage, packaging, transportation etc.

· The scheme
is implemented in the States having areas under Fifth Schedule of the
Constitution, namely, Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

EDUCATION

B. PRE-MATRIC SCHOLARSHIPS TO ST STUDENTS

· Applicable
to students who are studying in Classes IX – X. Priority is given for girls.

· Parental
income from all sources should be less than Rs.2.00 lakhs per annum.

· Scholarship
of Rs.150/- per month for day scholars and Rs.350/- per month for hostellers is
given for a period of 10 months in a year.

· Scholarship
is distributed through the State Government/UT Administration.

C. POST MATRIC SCHOLARSHIPS TO ST STUDENTS

· Applicable
to students who are studying in any recognized course from a recognized
institution for which qualification is Matriculation/Class X or above. Priority
is given for girls.

· Parental
income from all sources should be less than Rs.2.50 lakhs per annum.

· Compulsory
fees charged by educational institutions are reimbursed subject to the limit
fixed by the concerned State Fee fixation committee and scholarship amount of
Rs.230 to Rs.1200 per month, depending upon the course of study is paid.

· Scholarship
is distributed through the State Government/UT Administration.

· Remedial
and special coaching is provided to ST students in Classes IX to XII.

D. SCHEME OF TOP CLASS EDUCATION FOR ST STUDENTS

· Scholarship
is given to ST students for pursuing studies in prescribed courses in any of
the 158 institutions of excellence across the country like IITs, AIIMS, IIMs, NIITs,
etc. identified by the Ministry. Priority is given to girls.

· Total
number of scholarships is 1000 per year.

· Family
income from all sources does not exceed Rs.4.50 lakhs per annum.

· Scholarship
amount includes tuition fees, living expenses and allowances for books and
computer.

E. NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP SCHEME FOR ST
STUDENTS

· 750
fellowships are provided to ST students each year for pursing higher studies in
India for MPhil and PhD. Priority is given to girls.

· Fellowship
is granted as per UGC norms. Presently, @Rs.25,000/- for JRF and @Rs.28,000/-
for SRF.

· A total
of 20 awards are given every year. Of these, 17 awards are for STs and
3 awards for students belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

· Parental/family
income from all sources does not exceed Rs.6.00 lakhs per annum.

· Implemented
through the Ministry of External Affairs.

G. SCHEME OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN TRIBAL AREAS

· Main
aim is to develop the skills of the ST and improve their socio-economic
condition by enhancing their income.

· Vocational
Training Centre may cater to five vocational courses depending upon the
employment potential of the area. Ensure employment of at least 75% of the
students.

· Implemented
through the State Governments/UT Administration/Implementing Agencies/NGOs.

H. Scheme of Girls and Boys Hostels for STs:

· Central
assistance is given to States/UTs/Universities for construction of new hostel
buildings and/or extension of existing hostels.

· State
Governments are eligible for 100% central share for construction of all Girls’
hostel and also for construction of Boys’ hostel in naxal affected
areas (identified by Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time).

· The funding
pattern for the other Boys’ Hostel to State Governments is on 50:50 basis. In
case of UTs, the Central Government bears the entire cost of construction
of both Boys’ and Girls’ hostels. Maintenance of the hostel is the
responsibility of the concerned States/UTs.

· The hostels
may be for middle, secondary, college or university level education.

I. Scheme of Ashram Schools in
Tribal Sub-Plan Area:

· Objective
is to provide residential schools for STs in an environment conducive
to learning to increase the literacy rate among the tribal students and to
bring them at par with other population of the country.

· State
Governments are eligible for 100% central share for construction of all Girls’
Ashram Schools and also for construction of Boys’ Ashram Schools in naxal affected
areas (identified by Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time).

· The funding
pattern for the other Boys’ Ashram Schools is on 50:50 basis, while cent
percent assistance is given to UTsfor construction of both Girls and Boys’
Ashram Schools.

· This scheme
is in addition to other schemes for socio-economic development of tribal groups
who are at the bottom of developmental indices.

· The
scheme by adopting habitat development approach and intervening in all spheres
of their social and economic life, to make visible impact in improving of the
quality of life of PVTGswhile retaining their culture and heritage.

· The
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Act, 2006 is to recognize and record their existing rights on the
forest land.

· Due
process for recognition and vesting rights laid down through Rules
and Guidelines.

· A monitoring
system along with building capacity of STs, forest dwellers and officials
for effective implementation has been put in place.

N. Scheme of Assistance to State Scheduled Tribes
and Finance Development Corporations (STFDCs)

· Under the Scheme
titled “Assistance to State Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development
Corporations (STFDCs), the Central Government is to provide 49% Equity Share
Capital to the State Tribal Finance and Development Corporations and the
balance of the Share Capital is to be borne by the State
Government.

· A person
belonging to Scheduled Tribes and living below poverty line is eligible for
assistance from the STFDCs under the scheme.

· STFDCs of Odisha and Kerala have
been sanction Rs.0.50 Lakhs and Rs.22.00 Lakhs respectively
as Equity support to their share capital during 2015-16.